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Laocoon. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
Laocoon, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
Laocoon in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
Laocoon you have here. The definition of the word
Laocoon will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
Laocoon, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
French
Pronunciation
Proper noun
Laocoon m
- (Greek mythology) Laocoön
Latin
Etymology
Borrowed from Ancient Greek Λαοκόων (Laokóōn).
Pronunciation
Proper noun
Lāocoōn m sg (genitive Lāocoontis); third declension
- (Greek mythology) name of a mythical character; Laocoön who was attacked by giant serpents
1832, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, Heath's Book of Beauty, 1833, The Talisman, pages 80-81:He forthwith mentioned the wonderful charm in his custody, dwelt upon its merits till he grew quite eloquent, and finally desired the youth to follow him to the inner room, where it hung. It was a small dark chamber, crowded with articles for sale; but, whether from accident or design, the curiosities were all of a wild and ghastly kind. In the middle was a cast of the Laocoon, the wretched father and his children writhing in the folds of the terrible serpents: cruel must have been the eye and heart of the sculptor who thus made agony his triumph.
Usage notes
Declension
Third-declension noun, singular only.
References
- “Laocoon”, in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- Laocoon in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire illustré latin-français, Hachette, page 886.